Run The Gauntlet
by NiftyNuisance
Summary: An attempt at S4 had Robin and Guy ince John needs to deal with his brother as well as another contender for the throne. Finding the path to redemption was easy part for Guy, following is harder. The gang has to adjust to their new recruits. (Most living characters will make an appearance, as well a some historical figures and OCs. Mostly Guy centric).
1. Episode 1 part 1

**A/N: **I'm not sure if anyone out here is still reading Robin Hood fics, I was rather late to the party. I couldn't help myself from joining in though.

I'm going to be using a lot of real life history here, a little altered, of course, but if you watched the show I doubt you'll be too offended by my time line shenanigans.

I've got several chapters already written, it does get better, (the start is always the hardest) and I've done my best to stay true to the characters without ignoring anyone too much. Again, it'll improve as I go, my writing is a little rusty.

Lastly I plan on using a certain amount of French, however any thing of relevance will be translated (not in a redundant way, hopefully), I wanted to be more authentic and use Occitan French, however I can't be bothered to learn the language (difficult to translate), I'm fluent in modern French and they use modern English, so 'Parisian French' it is.

Tl; dr: If you're out there, please give me a sign?

* * *

"Job well done!" Robin shook the bag in his hand, a gratifying clinking sound answered as the coins jolted together. He almost wished they hadn't knocked all the soldiers out, he did so love the angry, resentful look on their faces when they'd been beaten. "No horses, Gisborne."

Guy scowled from the saddle of the horse he'd just mounted, "We are _miles_ away from the camp."

"Yeah, but right now we're England's most wanted. I'm not taking the risk."

"Fine, then I won't go back to camp. Someone needs to check on Nottingham anyway," Said Guy, leaning back in the saddle. It had been ages since he'd managed to get a horse, and he really, really hated all the walking.

"This," Robin held up the bag of gold, "Has got to go back to camp to that Tuck and Archer can take in onto our friend for the _King's_ ransom."

"So? You know the way."

"We do not split up, Gisborne! Those are the rules. No one wanders off alone it's too risky."

Guy smirked, "Scared of going back on your own, Hood?"

"No," Robin let out an annoyed breath, "I just don't feel like coming to rescue _you_ later. You don't exactly go unnoticed." He eyed the black leather armor which Guy had refused to shed despite the most compelling arguments such as sticking out like a sore thumb in the forest.

"Thank you."

"That was not a compliment!"

Guy titled his head sideways and shrugged, "I won't be seen. I'm hardly going to charge an a_rmy _head on. I'll meet you back at camp," He had already maneuvered the horse towards Nottingham, "_Without_ the horse," He added as he trotted off.

As Guy reached outskirts of the forest closest to Notthingham he could see the distant tents, as well as hundreds of soldiers whiling away their time around camp fires. The distant sounds of shifting and breaking rocks echoed about, along with the clinking of chains. To avoid spending too much money on the reconstruction they had transferred all prisoners from the surrounding dungeons to substitute the labor. Rumors had it, it was a worse punishment than a flogging or hanging. They were underfed and overworked, dawn 'till dusk, sometimes even at night by torchlight, with an ever present overseer, his whip ready to crack at the first faltering step.

The construction, however, was advancing swiftly. Already two levels were completed, the third almost finished.

He briefly toyed with the idea of getting a closer look, but opted out as one of the squadron leaders came out and started ordering the men to do some maneuvers. Turning back to the forest he set off, riding a safe distance before dismounting regretfully and letting the horse loose.

* * *

"Creses tu aus fantaumas?" Seven year old Arthur asked as he sat himself back down in the carriage, though his eyes were still staring out of the carriage window in utter fascination. The rain had subsided, but the mist was thickening, making the lights from the passing houses look like glowing ghouls in the young child's eyes.

"I told you, once we cross the border it's English or French," Sighed his cousin as she twirled a loose curl around her finger, "But there are no more ghosts here than there were in Aquitaine." Her voice tinted with a slight accent.

Arthur seemed disappointed by her answer, huffing as he crossed his arms.

"Are we nearly there?" Asked Arthur, kicking opposing bench, he had been cooped up in the carriage since the early hours of the morning, and was beyond frustrated. He'd begged and begged to be allowed to ride instead, but he was only allowed on on ponies, the journey was too far for one animal and they could not guarantee another suitable mount could be found along the way.

"Probably," Answered Helen, she'd never been this far north before, but surely they stop soon, whether they had arrived in Nottinghamshire or not.

* * *

"I am not a kitchen wench!"

"I never said you wer-"

"Oh, you do not need to say it! Your treatment of me is proof enough!"

"Much, I'm sure Archer never meant-" Tuck tried to mediate, but to no avail.

"Of course he didn't mean it, no one ever means anything do they? But do you ever stop to think what impact the things you do not mean might have-"

"Shut up." The force of Guy's voice was enough to stun Much into silence, as Guy came trudging up to the camp, his walk having put in a less that favorable mood.

"Can't believe I'm going to say this, but I'm glad you're back," Said Robin, giving Guy a genuine smile. Much was very sensitive when it came to Archer, with almost anything the young man said getting under his skin. It was understandable, Archer was Robin's brother, a place that Much had occupied for longer than he cared to remember, and was obviously worried about being replaced.

Robin made a note that he needed to take Much aside sometime, reassure him, the way he had when he first mentioned his engagement to Marian, and then several times subsequently...

Much eyed Guy wearily, but said nothing until Guy had sat and the smaller man had handed him a plate of rather dubious looking stew.

"Thank you," Muttered Guy, though it was muffled by his first bite. He was so hungry he didn't really take the time to taste the food, if it did, in fact, have any taste.

"Yeah, well we all know about your history with kitchen workers," Much hadn't actually meant to say that out loud. Especially not while he still in stabbing range of Gisborne, unarmed aside from a ladle up against Guy's very, very long sword.

There was a moment of incredibly tense silence, Guy eyed Much, and everyone eyed Guy. Robin's hand curled around the bow at his side, John brought his staff closer to his side. Tuck was already planning a calming speech in his head. Archer looked rather amused, he had yet to witness the extent, or rather lack of, his brother's temper. Kate guiltily hoped all hell would break loose, so they could finally be rid of the devil in their camp.

"You're not my type."

The tension dispelled, and after a few seconds of that sinking in, Robin laughed, soon followed by the others. Even Kate had to smile, though she quickly wiped it off her face as soon as she realized.

The conversation soon started up again, as Archer told one of his "exotic" stories, earning himself more than one scolding look, Guy gave his update on Nottingham Castle, Much filled in any silent gap he could.

"I have got some good news," Announced Robin, as Guy had finished, "I found this, and our friends here aren't awfully fond of Burgundy wine." Robin held up the rounded bottle by it's long, slim neck. By the looks of it, he'd already sampled a bit.

"Actually, whilst I was Lord of Bonchurch-"

"You told us it tasted like donkey piss," Put in John, Much scowled as the others laughed, but brightened again as Robin offered him tankard of, ever so slightly, watered down ale instead.

The fun, however, was short lived as a blood curling scream pierced the air. It was high pitched, most likely a child.

"Split up, if you find anything, shout out!" It was already done by time Robin gave the order, as the outlaws dispersed among the dark trees, weapons in hand.

Guy had taken off without really any particular direction in mind, but the sound of a scuffle caught his ear, he could just make out a large figure in the distance, towering over a much smaller one. He ran towards the pair as a movement further behind the hill caught his eye.

There was another scream but it turned to a whimper as the larger figured slumped to the floor, an arrow firmly embedded between his shoulder blades. Guy met Archer halfway as they arrived in front of a terrified boy.

Guy made a move towards him, but the child recoiled, "Laissez moi tranquille!"

Getting over his momentary surprise, and ignoring Archer's questioning look, Guy crouched down, "Je ne te veux pas de mal," He said as reassuringly as possible, himself stunned at the gentleness of his voice. Maybe it was just because it was in French? Maybe he was just mimicking the way his mother used to speak. The boy's eyes were still wide with fear, but he was standing his ground and the shaking had subsided, somewhat, "Comment tu t'appelles?"

"Arthur," The child answered, somewhat timidly, his eyes darting about him as he heard others approaching, Guy held up his hand, hoping to halt them, doubting Arthur would take too kindly to being surrounded at the moment.

Robin caught Kate as tried to go past him, "Wait."

"He's a child, he's terrified!" She protested, but Robin didn't loosen his grip on her arm.

"I think Guy's got it."

"You're joking right?" She snapped, then turned to John who had appeared to her right, hoping for some support but she just got a helpless shrug, "You're out of your mind, the lot of you!"

"Et vous?" Asked the boy, surprising Guy, not many children scared out of their wits would remember to use the polite form, hell he'd been chastised for informality on more than one occasion when his temper had got the better of him.

"Guy," He replied, giving the boy a half smile, which he hesitantly returned.

"Comme mon beau-père," Replied Arthur, a slightly more confident tone to his voice, his eyes drifted to the corpse on the floor, eyes resting on the protruding arrow for a few seconds before flitting to the man standing a little further back, holding the bow, "Et lui?"

"Archer," Guy glanced over his shoulder as he answered, "C'est mon frère."

Although Archer didn't understand a word of what he guessed was French, he was paying enough attention to realize he'd just been introduced, and gave the boy a nod and smile.

"Et les autres?" Arthur questions, glancing around the clearing at the shadowy figures moving around him, an involuntary shiver running down his spine. Guy stood and turned to the others, calling for them to come down and introduce themselves.

Arthur considered letting them know he could, in fact, speak English but decided against it. He'd have a better chance of escape, should he need it, if they believed he couldn't understand what they said amongst themselves.

He warily eyed the large man who had been introduced as "Little John", the big man caught his glance and gave a surprisingly warm smile, "It's okay, no one's going to hurt you."

The calm of the situation was once again disrupted as they heard shouting, and the pounding of hooves echoing up from the forest floor. In the distance they could see several torches.

"Back to camp," Ordered Robin, "Now!"

**So here we have the scene set...More or less. The final plot will take a little more time to develop but I'm trying to stick to an "episode like" formula, this being the first quarter of an episode. **

**Little Arthur is a real historical character and has even featured in a couple of other Robin Hood series. **

**Anyone out there? **


	2. Episode 1 part 2

**A/N: **I'm chuffed to see there are still people out there!  
Here's chapter two, hopefully it will not disappoint, I'm starting to get the hang of large group conversations now (one of my worst nightmares)!

Thank you very much for taking the time to review, Nick and MargretThornton, I hope you will enjoy the next part, as I said I'm a little slow to start off, but we'll be there soon. To answer your question, Nick, season three happened, but I'm modifying it so that Robin and Guy survived (details as to how will be given in bits and pieces), I try to avoid giving huge blocks of information in one go.

Also thanks to Satra for the follow.

I have three notes for this chapter:  
1\. There is a non-historical OC, well she existed but died in her childhood. She's the daughter of Matthew Count of Boulogne and Eleanor Countess of Vermandois, thus Eleanor of Aquitaine is her great-aunt, Arthur her second cousin.

2\. She's not a pleasant character, and is not intended to be likable, amusing, but not likable.

3\. I may come over as though I'm 'bashing' the French, I'm not, for one I've lived in France all my life, it's also in reflection of the Norman/Saxon bad blood.

Tl;dr: I hope you enjoy this, please tell me if you do (or if you don't)!

* * *

Arthur was understandably drained by the time they returned to camp, and soon fell asleep, although Guy managed to get a semblance of a story out of him before he did, which he then related to the rest of the Outlaws.

The boy had come from Aquitaine, where he lived with his grandmother, with his cousin and their escort to visit his uncle. They'd stopped at an inn, not too far from the forest, and after a day of being cooped up in the carriage, Arthur had wanted to stretch his legs. It was dark already, and he knew he would not be allowed to leave had he asked, so he let himself out once his cousin had retired to her room.

When he got outside, there was a man trying to pry open one of the upstairs shutters, the man had seen him, jumped down and ran after boy, who naturally fled. The rest was nothing but a blur until they had found found him.

"Why would anyone try to kill a child?" Asked John, the anger obvious in his voice.

"He's obviously rich. Looking at those clothes," Put in Archer.

"Maybe they wanted to hold him for ransom?" Suggested Kate, stifling a yawn.

"No," Guy shook his head, "That man was not trying to take him away, we saw that much," He looked over to his half-brother who nodded gravely in agreement.

"We should get some sleep," Announced Robin as he stood up, "Things always make more sense in the morning."

The next morning Arthur woke up to the smell of food cooking, his stomach growling. He shifted in the bed, looking about him as the previous night's events came flooding back. A shudder went through him yet he felt a sens of pride at the same time, he had spent the night in the forest, escaped an assassin, a r_eal_ adventure!

He heard the outlaw's voices drifting into the curtained off cabin he was sleeping in and decided to listen a while before making a move. His adventure wasn't over yet, he reminded himself, his heart speeding up in his chest. The prospect of having to out-maneuver everyone out there was a daunting one, though he realized he was almost equally terrified of his cousin Helen's wrath once he returned. That thought brought a smile to his lips.

"Should we wake him?"

"No, he'll need all the rest he can get, he's had hard night."

"I'll save some food for him, he'll be hungry when he wakes."

Arthur sat up, they certainly didn't sound threatening, they actually sounded worried about him. Maybe he didn't have to worry after all. He took a deep breath and threw back the curtain, stepping out to find only three people were there. He wasn't sure he remembered everyone's name from last night, he'd still been in too much shock for his brain to function properly. He remembered the dark haired man in black, Guy, that was easy, especially since his step father shared the name, he also seemed to be the only one fluent in French.

He also remembered the strange man with the scarf on his head, he had such and unusual name, Much. Why would anyone be called Much? Surely it must have been a nickname.

The third man's name he could not recall, his hair was short, he was unshaven yet didn't really have a beard. He'd carried a bow like the other man, Guy's brother, Archer, but that was also easy to remember: the name spoke for itself.

"Oh, you're up, you must be starving?" Asked Much, before Arthur could answer his stomach gave another growl, his checks tinging red as the others chuckled. He soon found himself sat on a log with a bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other.

"Ben dorm?" Asked Robin, Guy coughed to cover up a sneer at the broken attempt at French, with he might add, the worst accent he had ever heard. Arthur also seemed amused but luckily had his mouth full.

"Shut it Gisborne, my French lessons were a long time ago." Snapped Robin, he was rather annoyed as he'd been convinced he'd remembered that correctly.

"You had French lessons?" Questioned Much, surprised he'd never heard about it.

"It was short lived," Robin shrugged, "My father's ide-" He stopped himself, and exchanged an equally horrified expression with Guy.

Much looked up from the fire as Robin stopped short of finishing his sentence, but soon caught on when he noticed Guy and Robin looking in every and any direction to avoid eye contact with each other. They had accepted their parent's indiscretion, that didn't mean either of them wanted to talk about it.

"Are you actually sure you two aren-?"

"Yes!" They both interrupted the cook, though a second of doubt flashed across Robin's face.

"Gis-"

"I wasn't born anywhere near Locksley."

"Oh, thank God," Sighed Robin, Guy wasn't really offended by the reaction, although their relationship had moved on considerably he had no wish to share more blood than he already did with man. However he couldn't help himself from returning a dig.

"Isabella was."

"May I have some more?" Arthur felt all three pairs of eyes snap onto him as the words left his mouth.

"You can speak English?" Exclaimed Much, before he shook his head, "Of course, here," Reached over to the boy's outstretch bole with a ladle full.

After listening to their rather strange exchange, he'd decided he had absolutely no need to fear for his life. He'd also worked out that the man whose name he'd forgotten was no other than probably Robin Hood. The legend had made it's way over to France, with many distortions, as he could now see, but nonetheless he'd heard of him.

"Forgive me," Said Arthur, his eloquence surprising for his young age, "I wanted to make sure of your intentions before I revealed myself."

"Smart kid," Nodded Robin, appreciatively, "We should probably get you back to your cousin before the day is over, she must be worried."

Arthur looked a little disappointed, he was rather enjoying his little adventure, but perked up when Much spoke up, "What about last night? Would it be safe for him to go back before we work that out?"

"I don't mind staying!" Exclaimed Arthur, then blushed, "If you don't mind, of course."

"At the very least we should get word to her, and maybe to your uncle, too," Robin was thinking out loud, "Where were you headed?"

"Nottingham Castle. We were invited to see the new construction," Arthur replied.

"Who's your uncle?" Asked Guy, rather dreading his suspected answer.

"John. Prince John. Do you know him?"

"You could say that," Guy inclined his head, then exchanged a look with Robin. Much was still wide eyed, but seemed to be preparing to go off on another tirade.

Robin decided to cut it short, "Much, since Arthur might be spending some time with us, could show him around the camp?"

"But-"

"_Please_, Much."

Much inclined his head, and called Arthur after him.

"We have a problem," Started Robin, as he stood up.

"Really? Because the kid's Royalty or because he's got assassins after him?" Guy's sarcasm was met with an unamused glare.

"Arthur here," Continued Robin, "Is Geoffrey's son. The King's nephew by his older brother. Incidentally this gives him a better claim to the throne than his dear uncle John. We need a plan, quickly."

"That's your department, isn't it?"

"I know it's not your forte, but- Okay, first things first, we need to find out whose side his cousin is playing for," Robin concluded, deciding to skip the 'argue with Gisborne' step of the plan.

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Questioned Guy, not terribly impressed by the idea.

"Asking usually works," Robin grinned at Guy's dubious expression.

"And finally, the dinning/kitchen area you have already seen," Much reappeared with Arthur in tow.

"Arthur," Called Robin, "Your cousin, what's her name?"

"Helen."

"Alright, Much will you stay here with Arthur, me and Gisborne have to leave for a bit, the others will be back soon, so you can get to know them a bit better." Robin gave the boy a wink, but caught his disappointment at not being invited to come along.

* * *

They arrived at the inn Arthur had described the night before, a very expensive carriage parked outside, along with a couple of knights, bearing the Queen mother's insignia, idly standing outside confirmed they were in the right place.

Another was coming out from behind a tree, probably gone to relieve himself.

Before Robin had a chance to hone down his semblance of a plan, Guy had sneaked up behind the knight and knocked him out.

"You're letting the side down, Hood," Guy smirked, as he dragged the man's limp body further into the woods before he started stripping him of his armor.

Robin scowled at the remark, "This'll never work, there's no helmet."

"I'll tell them I have a message from the queen mother." Guy shrugged his leather jacket off before pulling on the replacement.

"You don't have a horse," Robin pointed out, not just because it was Guy's idea, he told himself, but because it was a stupid plan.

"I'll tell them it broke a leg a mile back."

Well didn't he have an answer for everything, "Your hair's too long."

"Oh please," Guy sheathed his sword once his belt was in place over his new attire, deliberately twitching his head making his long curls tilt from side to side, "They're French."

Robin took a deep breath, not entirely sure he was up to saying this without being physically sick, "Fine. So what am I supposed to do?" His teeth barely unclenched during the question.

"What you do best," Replied Guy, not without a hint of smugness, "Sneak in through the window."

With that he left before Robin could dispute his statement. The outlaw watched with interest as Guy interacted with the Knights. He'd had half a mind to go instead, but now realized why Guy had volunteered, the exchange was going to be in either French or Occitan French, neither language being in Robin's mastery. He made a mental note to learn a few words sooner rather than later. Preferably rude ones.

Once Guy was through the door, Robin masterfully, yes, but not his _only_ ability, snuck up the side of the building.

Guy made his way upstairs unchallenged, but now there was the tricky part as he had no idea who he was looking for, luckily there weren't any other nobles in the vicinity, surely he'd not go far wrong. He continued down the upstairs hallway, pausing at an open door, inside a young woman paced up and down relentlessly. Her hand was held up to her neck, finger continually twisting and untwisting a long suffering lock of brown hair. Her features were sharp, precise, but obviously slightly distressed. Her dress was of an equal expense to the carriage, the pleasingly clinging bodice, large skirt and flowing sleeves oozed of the latest French fashion.

She stopped walking as she spotted him, her hand immediately releasing the strand of hair, her face adopting a completely neutral expression, all traces of worry hidden behind a mask of cold indifference.

"Alors?!" Guy was slightly taken aback by the sharpness of the demand in her voice. He missed French girls. A smirk tugged at his lips but he quickly pushed the thought away, gave a slight bow then walked in, shutting the door behind him, without breaking eye contact. She was about to question him when she spun around at the sound of Robin jumping from the sill behind her onto the wood floor.

Guy was prepared to silence a scream but it never came. Instead she turned so she could keep an eye on both of them and crossed her arms defiantly.

"Lady Helen?" Asked Robin, he gave a smile and a bow, which had Guy unconsciously scowling, before righting himself and adding, "Please tell me you speak English."

"I am and I do," She replied, her voice neutral, "But I do not see why I should do any speaking. You have broken into my room, you should explain. Quickly."

Guy bit his tongue rather hard, her accent, though relatively light, was having an unspeakable effect on him. The fact that he'd always had a weakness for dark curls not helping at all. He took a deep breath and forced himself to focus on Robin instead which had the desired effect.

**A/n: **_(Oh does she ever shut it? I know, I know)_ This felt like the best place to stop this one.  
The next chapter will be up soon.  
PS: Doesn't anyone know of a divide I can use (that won't be deleted) other than the line breaker thingy? Since I'm sticking to the series 'scene switching' it's really annoying when it's not clear!


	3. Episode 1 part 3

**A/n:**Alright here goes chapter three. Only one more until I get most of the characters in place for the story to really begin (that said, I only have a vague idea of what will happen).

I shall reiterate my warning about the OC being unpleasant!

I'm under using Archer at the moment, he's going to shine later, fear not.

The Queen Mother was a favourite character of mine, so she'll be mentioned a lot until I can actually get her into the story.

This is geared to be as much like the series as I can make it, so hopefully there's a certain amount of humor in this chapter.

**thespiderthief**: Thank you very much for taking the time to review. Hopefully you will enjoy this chapter also!

**MargretThornton**: Thank you for your continued support, and especially detailed ones! I'm concentrating on getting the plot set up right now, but have some (hopefully) interesting twists and turns for the Archer/Guy/Robin family.  
Arthur is fun, and based on a child I know (who is way too clever for his age) he may take a back seat for a few chapters until he has his own little arc.  
Helen is also fun to play with, her first scene may not have quite given her personality away but these next few chapters should do the trick, let's just say no one's going to fall madly in love with 'that'!

* * *

"Do you know what happened to your cousin last-"

"You know where he is?" She'd sprung forward and had a fistful of Robin's shirt, her blazing dark blue eyes burning into his.

He held his hands up and pried himself out of her grip, "If you answer my questions, I'll answer yours."

"Non," She sighed, then shook her head, correcting herself, "No, he must have snuck out, he'd been restless all day but I thought he'd be reasonable..._Quel âne!_ Forcément il s'est perdu!" She slipped back into French as her emotions took over but quickly recomposed herself. "Now what do you know?"

"Someone tried to kill him last night," Guy filled in, annoyed that she was focusing on Robin, "We stopped them, don't worry, he's safe." He added quickly, as she spun around.

"Where?!"

"Our camp," Replied Robin, "I cannot tell you where it is, nor do I believe it to be safe to return him to you-"

"And just who do you think you are to make that sort of decision?" She snarled, she'd turned once again, another couple of locks falling out of a rapidly failing bun, it swayed, easily past her waste, even with the curls. Guy couldn't decide if he wished he was on the receiving end or not. The rear view was not so bad to be honest... He once again quickly glanced back to Robin who smiled smugly and lent on his bow.

"Well, now you ask! I, my lady, am Robin Hood."

"Really?" She seemed dubious, the slightly offended expression on the outlaw's face amused Guy to no end.

"Yes."

"Well in that case," Her voice softened a little, she took a step towards him, "Let me say I am very, very grateful for what you have done for England and our King," Her face was now mere inches from Robin's own smile, "However," She suddenly drew back, the noise of her hand meeting the archer's face alone was enough to stun Guy, Robin took a step back, left hand holding his left cheek, "Arthur is like a brother to me, and if you continue leading me on I will reacquaint you with Prince John. I hear he is your biggest admirer."

Guy had to bit his tongue again, this time to avoid chuckling, from the look on Robin's face he'd never been in close quarters with a more...Latin temper before. He also had no idea how to deal with them. So Guy stepped in.

"We have reason to believe Prince John may have been the one to organise the assassination. If you'd like to see your cousin, we could bring you to him, you'll have to dismiss your knights, however."

She turned once again, holding his gaze before looking him up and down, "You have already started to do that, it seems," She tilted her head, "I've heard of him," She motioned to Robin, "My great aunt Eleanor told me all about the encounter. Far too much in fact," She shook her head as if trying to clear it, if Little John was still around she wasn't sure she'd be able to look him in the eye after the Queen's d_etailed_ description, "But she never mentioned you."

And Helen was _sure_ she would have.

"He's a recent addition," Supplied Robin, but her eyes were still studying Guy, she could see the black riding boots, and beginnings of leather trousers from under his disguise as one of the Queen Mother's sworn knights.

_Oh, "The man in black...hm, Shame he worked for the Sheriff." _

"You used to work for Sheriff Vaisey. I recall now."

"Wait, she described him, well enough for you to recognise him, but she didn't describe me?" Asked Robin, it was all lighthearted but he was genuinely confused. Surely he'd made a good impression.

Helen raised an eyebrow at the archer, "You did not get as much..." She hesitated slightly, "Physical description."

"What exactly did she say?" Asked Guy, curiosity getting the better of him, his request was met with a frown.

"Nothing a lady should ever say, besides I am not sure I could translate if I wanted to."

"Just checking," Guy smirked, glancing over to Robin just to make sure he was paying attention, "I don't need a translation though."

"If you are so curious, maybe you should ask her yourself," Returned Helen, "Beware, however, she is not a woman who will take no for an answer."

Guy almost missed the subtext as he was too busy noticing she pronounced the "w" in 'answer', Robin cleared his throat a little louder than necessary.

"I can go out for a ride, this afternoon, alone," She started, looking back to Robin.

"Alright, just make your way into the forest, we'll find you."

* * *

The rain from the previous days had subsided, and the English country side was lit up by a very shy ray of light, one of the few fair days of winter. Robin had posted Kate, Tuck, Gisborne, Much and himself to look out for Helen, while John, Much and Archer had stayed at camp to look after and entertain young Arthur.

She came into view astride a rather stunning bay horse with only a small "4" shaped touch of white on it's forehead, peaking in and out of view under the sleek black mane.

The horse was obviously a little nervous, making a sudden sideways jump as it spotted what it considered a terrifying fallen tree. Helen chided the horse a little and squeezed her legs evenly on either side to force it past the obstacle. The horse obliged her, its gait somewhere between a trot and a tiptoe.

Mindful of the highly strung animal Guy stepped out slowly, making sure he spoke before hand so as not to spook either horse or rider. She turned the horse to face him as he approached, getting a better look at the animal. A mare, a stunning one at that, the proportions were perfect, well muscled yet light for speed, an easy jumper, he imagined.

He held her steady and offered Helen a hand to dismount, which she accepted.

"She's beautiful," He muttered, mostly to himself.

"Spanish, from Andalusia," Supplied Helen, "They only ever work the stallions, so she's a little green."

_Sensible_, he thought. Females of all species tended to be difficult at best.

"You'll have to leave the horse here," Started Robin, "Tuck and Much will leave her out of sight on their way to the village drops, so you need not worry, also," He held up a strip of cloth.

"What?" She asked deadpan, wondering why on God's earth someone would consider dangling a relatively dirty looking piece of material in front of her face.

"You have to be blindfolded if we're to take you to our camp," Replied Kate, "Those are the rules."

Helen looked Kate up and down, whatever her conclusion might have been, the result was unreadable. However she shook her head, "That," She pointed an accusatory finger at the cloth, "Is not going anywhere near my face, or my _hair_." Hair which had been properly pulled up and styled since this morning, in fact her appearance was incredibly...too perfected for a ride through the forest, she looked like she was headed to ball in London court.

"It's not going to kill you," Admonished Kate.

Helen raised an eyebrow, "Well obviously it hasn't killed _you_," The rest was left to hang in the air, but the effect was the same as if it had been spelled out. The result of her previous scrutiny now clear.

"Listen you-"

"Whoa, whoa," Robin stepped in, pulling Kate back by her arm, "No fighting now, I'm sure we can find a solution that'll keep everyone happy."

Helen sighed and took a step towards Guy, reaching for his belt, he instinctively caught her wrist, looking down at her questioningly.

"Votre dague," She elaborated to the unspoken question, he shrugged, letting go of her wrist and handing her his dagger hilt first. She got hold of the end of one of her long sleeves and began to shred the dagger through it. When she'd finished she returned the hilt to Guy, "Merci."

She held the cut fabric up in front of them to prove it was not see-through against the light before very carefully putting it over her eyes and knotting it behind her head mindful not to disturb her hair.

"See?" Said Robin turning to Kate.

"No, obviously," Muttered Helen, rolling her eyes behind closed lids.

"Let's go," Robin took Helen's arm as her guide. Truth be told he'd done so because of all of them, he was the most used to guiding people in a similar condition, almost never letting them put a foot wrong, catching them if they did. Gisborne's annoyed look was just a really good bonus.

* * *

"Helen!"

She only just had time to remove the blindfold before her little cousin bolted his arms around her waist. "Arthur, tu vas bien?" She pushed him away a little and bent herself to his level, hands on his shoulder and cheek, checking for any visible damage. Once satisfied she pulled him back into a hug.

Arthur then proceeded to tell her the whole story, very quickly, barely stopping for breath, disregarding manners as he pointed at each and everyone of them as he gave descriptions and names. She should have been cross, she should have told him off, but the truth of it was that he'd probably be dead had he not thrown the assassin's plan by wandering off into the forest in the first place.

"Tu vas rester avec nous?" Arthur asked her, eyes looking up, full of hope. She glanced around at the "camp", somehow she'd expected something along the lines of a military tent, or several. Not a shack that almost rivaled the size of her closet back in . Absolutely no way was she staying here. She'd have to put it differently to answer his question though.

"This is no place for a lady," Guy stepped into the conversation, saving her the trouble.

"But Kate lives here."

Guy bit his tongue, he really did, but it slipped out anyway, "Yeah, my point stands."

"Gisborne!" Well he hadn't exactly expected a standing ovation for that one.

"You have a point," Started Robin, "I'm sure you could have put it differently, though."

"I could," Confirmed Guy, his voice held no hint of an apology though he did muster the decency to wipe the smirk off his face.

Robin ignored him and quickly elaborated, "Judging by your...Reaction earlier, I strongly doubt you'd be a happy woman here. I mean Guy has trouble enough already. Some of us will just never quite adapt to living such a simple life." Robin further illustrated his point by slowly running a hand through his short cropped hair, "Vanity certainly doesn't help."

"Coming from the man with the world's biggest ego?" Growled Guy.

"Me? Have you looked in the mirror recently, Gisborne? Oh wait of course you-"

"Stop it!" They both looked down at the boy now standing between them, his arms were on his hips as if daring them to continue despite his instruction not to.

He was certainly a king in the making that one, thought Robin with an amused smile, which only grew with the child's following statement, punctuated with a finger pointed as Gisborne, "You obviously do care about your appearance, else you would not insist on wearing clothes that make you stand out so," Arthur then turned to Robin, "And you obviously enjoy showing off, else you would not have your name so well know nor would you incur such wrath from those you stint, however justifiable it may be."

They both stared at the boy, then at each other, both quickly masking their surprise with a glare, Arthur gave them both a disapproving look, "You share a common goal, start acting like it, now shake hands and make up," He crossed his arms, staring the both of them down in turn with a confidence even Robin had not possessed at such an early age.

They grudgingly complied, as the rest of the gang look on in wonder.

"I think we should put him in a room with King Richard and Prince John," Said Little John, Archer nodded in agreement.

"That could be a while yet, for the moment I say we keep him," With that Archer walked over to the boy, handing him a small wooden pendant hanging on a string. "What do you say, want to join us officially?"

"Hold it," Protested Helen, as much as she'd enjoyed watching two grown men getting chastised by a little boy, some lines had to be drawn, "You cannot make the King's nephew an outlaw!"

"Why not? In case you hadn't realised you're conspiring with outlaws right now. You could hang for that," Kate added the last part as rather wishful thinking, but it was nonetheless true.

Helen opened her mouth, ready to deny, however she came up empty.

"You get used to it," Offered Guy, "At least I hope you do," he added quietly.

Helen shook her head, "That's not the point, you cannot keep a child here, it's not safe it's not-" Proper? Clean? Worthy of him, "What if he gets sick? Or hurt? We have to go back to France."

"Will he be safe in France though?" Asked Archer, sitting down to sharpen his sword.

"John would never dare make an attempt on Arthur's life on his mother's land," Helen insisted.

"Wouldn't he? It doesn't have to look like murder to be murder. A fall from a high window, a poison passing as an illness, a riding accident..." Guy trailed off, realising that for many of his examples he was simply citing past experiences. He swallowed with difficulty and looked up, expecting at the very least, to feel Robin's judgmental look, but everyone seemed to be deep in thought, only Arthur was looking at him with quiet interest.

Robin was the one to break the silence, "For now, until we find a solution, he will stay with us. You will of course be allowed to visit, but you must not, under any circumstance, tell anyone that you know where Arthur is." Robin paused, "I don't think Prince John would dare to reach so far, under his mother's nose, however we will have to carefully plan the return journey."

**A/n: Only one more part for 'episode 1' after this. **  
**Please let me know your opinion, I value all feedback! **


	4. Episode 1 part 4

**A/n: **So I finally got chapter 4 together! It took longer than expected as I had to rewrite and edit many times because some parts went against what I wanted to achieve later, and others just seemed a little redundant. I'm still not entirely happy with it, but I can't face another rewrite!

Consider this chapter to be the closing of "Episode 1", it's a bit shorter than the others, but ended it here felt 'right'.

**MargretThornton: **Thank you so much for your continued support, it means a lot and always motivates me to write more! I always try to make OCs as fun as possible as it can be difficult to get them to receive the same amount of interest as canon characters, I'm very glad you like them.

Ah, well as soon as I think of a "suitable" name for Guy I'll be sure to slip it in. Maybe when Queen Eleanor makes an appearance (I'm determined to get her in there).

Kate will have a tough time, but I actually quite like her as a character as I have a soft spot for the actress in Downton Abbey, so she's going to have some good turns too. All will be clear(er) soon, and hopefully you will enjoy the journey!

**SeaOfStars:** Thanks for stopping by, I hope you will also enjoy this next chapter!

**velja:** Oh wow, thanks! I loved Marian, but I could not work her into this (alive, that is). I'd have so much work thinking up separate trouble for her! Dialogue is favourite of mine, description being my downfall.  
I really need to start reading the other fics on this sight, but I need to wait 'till I'm good and set up with this, don't want to steal any ideas!

* * *

Helen stayed for dinner, although she did not do any actual eating having taken one look at what was on offer, and hurriedly decline. Not said she was not hungry, but simple declined, much to Much's affront.

Guy found her personality more and more intriguing the more he observed of her. She could be incredibly cold, and was so most of the time. She was rude, inconsiderate of other people's feelings, possibly the vainest creature he had ever met (and that alone was saying a lot), in fact he'd be doubting her humanity were it not for antics towards little Arthur.

With him she was considerate, patient (to a degree, largely define by her patience, or lack thereof), warm and more than a little attractive on the rare occasions when she smiled. He couldn't help but wonder at such a two sided coin.

After dinner she managed to bribe Arthur into going to bed with the promise of a story, John laughed out loud as the boy was leaving, proving that as sensibly grown up and well mannered the boy could be, he was still just a child at heart. They'd all do well not to forget that much during his stay.

"Tu peux me raconter La Dangeureuse de L'isle de Bouchard, s'il te plait?" Asked Arthur, as Helen tucked him in, not without muttered comments about the state of the sheets, mattress amongst other complaints.

The choice of story perked Guy's interest and he tilted his head closer to the curtain, mentally blocking out the ongoing conversation by the fire. The story of Dangeureuse was mostly true, she was Eleanor of Aquitaine's grandmother, no doubt she was a beautiful woman who was 'kidnapped' (she'd left her husband willingly by all accounts) by William IX Duke of Aquitaine and locked in a tower in Poitiers with a load of Saracen women brought back from the Holy Land. To his credit, the man got himself excommunicated. Twice.

After that some things were debatable, in the version his mother told him, the Saracen women taught her all sorts of sorceries which enabled her to have visions of the future thus prophesying Eleanor of Aquitaine,

_Our houses unite and a queen will be born,_

_A founder of dynasties, bright Rose and dark Thorn._

_Her name will be Eleanor, her signet the whip,_

_The lords of two lands feel the sting of her lip._

Obviously in this case the apple had not fallen far from the tree.

Personally he preferred the version he'd heard from a French lord he'd worked for. The version where the Saracens taught her how to drive a man to brink of insanity with passion. Though he could see why he'd been spared that version as a child.

Helen had reached the end of the story, and he realised he was now sitting directly outside the curtained off area with no recollection of ever having moved.

" The prophecy completed, the barbary chant finished, Dangerosa allowed William to kiss her foot, then reached backwards towards the table to collect that instrument of clairvoyance, a perfect red rose."

The curtain shifted as Helen came out, she looked down at Guy in mild surprise, "If you wanted a bed time story, you should have asked."

"Depends, could I get the uncensored version?" He was expecting her to at least blush as he leaned his head back against the wooden post, looking up at her.

She crouched down next to him, and he tilted his head towards her, maybe she didn't know what he was talking about, but now he was far to close to her for it to be decent, t_hat_ would rattle her.

It didn't, the damn woman wasn't human. Instead she leaned in even more, their noses almost touching, he briefly wondered if she was going to slap him out of the blue for being inappropriate, as she had with Robin earlier.

"Dangeureuse is my great, great, great grandmother," She whispered, her eyes closing ever so slightly as she met his gaze under thick lashed, "You will have to do better than that," With that she stood up and strutted down the stairs.

_Damn it, where the hell is Robin when you need him?_

Guy let his head fall back against the post. Did he just get beaten at his own game? By all accounts she was a horrible person- he stopped himself and rephrased, she was devoid of charm. Or at least did an incredibly thorough job of going through life without it's use. So why the hell did he want her? Did he even want her? He'd obviously been living in the forest for far too long.

"Sorcière," He muttered under his breath, as he stood up, that's what she was, a siren, a witch, she was not hu-

"You called?" He froze, she was standing right behind him.

"Shouldn't you be gone by now?"

"Yes, but I need someone to take me back to my horse and show me the path."

"Then find someone," He gave her his signature 'have fun with that' smirk and headed back to what was left of the fire.

"Robin disappeared as have most of the others, Much is cleaning pots and I cannot look at John without hearing my great aunt's remarks."

Guy spotted the, amazingly still unfinished, bottle of wine that Robin had brought out the night before and picked it up, turning back to face Helen. He could still talk his way out of this.

He pulled the loose cork from the bottle and took a long drink, savouring the almost forgotten flavour of decent wine before swallowing.

"I have quite a temper," Cautioned Guy, giving her a warning look.

She gave an indifferent shrug, "Everyone has a temper where I am concerned."

_I'll believe that._ Guy briefly wondered about taking a torch, it was dark and although a few stars were shining they were few and far between, occasionally obscured by passing clouds. He decided against it, after all he had become rather good at wandering the forest at night, and would get a somewhat perverse enjoyment out of seeing her stumble in her long skirts.

As they left the light providing by the camp fire he felt Helen take his arm, much to his annoyance.

"Really?" He hadn't meant to say it out loud.

Helen tutted, but made no move to release him, "Mother was right, chivalry is dead."

"Maybe you'd like to wait here while I fetch Robin for you?"

He felt more than saw her shrug, "I don't think...Claire would approve."

"Kate?" Guy corrected, though he was amused she had managed forget the only female in the gang.

"Yes," She amended, though she did not seem to care for her mistake. They continued on in silence.

Guy was thankful that her personality defects did not extend to endless chatter like some many other women.

When they reached the place where Helen's horse was- supposed to be tied up they stopped.

"You must have lost your way," She said, critically.

It was a possibility, Guy did not yet boast the other outlaws' almost infallible ability to make their way anywhere in the forest, on a pitch dark night. Archer's skill was all the more impressive as he was able to do so whilst blind drunk to boot.

However Guy was not going to admit as much, he crouched down and brushed the ground, satisfied when he found obvious hoof marks.

"She was here alright."

"She must have untied herself," Moaned Helen, cursing the animal under her breath.

* * *

"Has she gone?" Kate asked Much as she came to sit beside him, followed by Robin.

"Yes."

"Good."

"Kate," Robin scolded lightly, though he was used to her dislike of any female who came anywhere near their camp or their lives by now, and Gisborne, but then again-

"I don't like her Robin," She interrupted his train of thought, crossing her arms and daring him to come to the woman's defence.

"She's unpleasant, but I don't think she'd betray us," Shrugged Much.

"She's just like Isabella," Insisted Kate, "And I was right about her. You promised you'd listen from now on."

"She's nothing like Isabella," Robin disagreed, Guy's sister was manipulative, incredibly charming and incredibly deceitful, right from the start when she claimed never to have met her own brother!

"She's French."

Kate scowled as Robin chuckled, "Look, she wasn't very nice to you-"

"Or me," Put in Much.

"Or you, Much," Conceded Robin, "But don't let that cloud your judgement, we're all working towards the same goal." He couldn't help but feel a seven year old had put the words into his mouth.

* * *

Guy and Helen arrived back at the inn after a longer walk than expected. A single torch lit up the a window on the top floor.

"You may as well tell them the true half of the lie: you went for a ride, the horse bolted when you got off to lead her and you had to walk back."

"Lord knows I could not have thought up such a clever story without your help," She rolled her eyes, throwing him a sidelong glance.

"Do you always have to have the last word?"

"Of course."

Guy turned to leave, ignoring her raised eyebrow.

"You are not going to walk me to the door?"

He glanced at her over his shoulder, "Chivalry is dead, remember?"

* * *

**A/n:** The next one will hopefully be a lot quicker to come out! Thank you for reading, feedback always much appreciated!


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